Going into this election, we knew it was going to be nasty and by all means it was. In a nation of over 300 million people, the two party system led many Americans going to the polls in fear and many faced the reality of picking between the lesser of two evils. For many, the idea of making this choice kept them from making a decision all together. Despite the candidate you may support, I hope we can all agree that not voting is the worst choice of all. There is truly no reason not to vote if you are eligible to make your voice accounted for. Too many people worked their whole life for this privilege that millions of Americans take for granted. Some of my friends living abroad in England, New Zealand and Japan were able to do it-we have no excuse. (If anything to my Pennsylvania and Bucknell readers, your vote truly did count).
Like many Americans, I was not thrilled with the options on the ballot. The results were close and represented where America's attitude is right now surrounding who should lead. There are people who believed in the ticket they elected enough to put in office, and despite disagreeing with them, as a nation, we must come together. We have survived depressions, civil wars, world wars and fighting for our independence. The sun will rise tomorrow (and there have been a couple of times we have all thought it might not).
I highly recommend listening to Clinton's gracious concession speech, particularly for the message she sent to young people: fighting for what is right is worth it. This can be done on larger scales (working on a presidential election) to small acts (treating others fairly, standing up for people in difficult decisions). There are always places for us to speak up for what we believe. I am challenging myself and anyone reading this to go out of our way especially in the next few days to show kindness and compassion- the world needs more of it. Despite everything, I am still proud to call myself a Washingtonian and will continue to support America while hoping for the best for our nation throughout these next four years. I hope you do as well. {Image}
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